Which is worse? A New York Times critic erroneously reporting on Ann Curry’s farewell? Or an NBC executive being quoted after Curry tearfully said farewell that “We gave her a year to prove herself, and ultimately we came to the conclusion that she had played at the highest level she could.” As Billy Crystal’s character Miracle Max said in A Princess Bride, “The King’s stinking son fired me, and thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? We’re closed.”
I am not a fan of the New York Times critic, Alessandra Stanley. I don’t like her style of writing, like this line from a piece on Katie Couric, ” At the first sound of her peremptory voice and clickety stiletto heels, people dart behind doors and douse the lights.” And I don’t understand how someone who has made so many errors in her writing is still working for the same paper. But in this case, my darts go to NBC News President Steve Capus. This quote, “We live in a HD world. Dan Rather used to say the camera never blinks. Well, this is an HD world now, and the camera picks up everything” sounds like the basis for an age discrimination lawsuit.